Campaign finance case goes to court (Texas Association of Business)

[sonias]

AAS article 3/30
Campaign finance case goes to court
Prosecutors claim business group surrendered free-speech defense

For almost four years, the Texas Association of Business has contended that it had a free speech right to spend millions of dollars from secret corporate donors to help elect a slate of Republican lawmakers that would support its anti-tax, anti-lawsuit, pro-insurance agenda.

In pre-trial hearing Wednesday, State District Judge Mike Lynch questioned whether the group just hired a group of ingenious people to write its political ads to "skirt the line" of the law.
"That's an unkind way of saying it," said Austin lawyer Roy Minton, who represents the association. "But the answer is yes."

Here's the really depressing part:

As the case closes in on 1,200 days since the start of the investigation, the legal saga appears nowhere near a conclusion.

And DeLay thinks he should get a fast trial, get in line bugman!

Sonia

[MagickMuffin]

1. Feet & Knuckle Dragging

I was wondering during the primary campaign how come I kept getting large volumes of Repub crap in the mail.

High Glossy, 70# Paper, Some Tri-folded, Single Sided, Double Sided, Color, Black & White
Outta Sight,
Thrown Into Recycling Bin
Some Multi-Dupes, From the Same RePukes, Funded by Corporate Whores
Masters of Deception, Erections Of Lies, Upon Lies, Upon Lies
Looking To Curry Favors Of Flavors Of Over Bloated Budgets, Line My Pockets, With Your Tax Breaks,
Over Inflated Salaries, Looking Out For Their Best Interest, Special Interests
Culture of Corruption, Decades of Destruction
Rubber Stamped Laws, Written By Corporate Whores, Thieves of the Right
Hammer Time, Strong Arm Tactics, Passed In The Dead Of The Night

Blood On Their Hands, Ordered On Command, They Lie, People Die,
No Body Counts, "Beautiful Mind"; Black Heart & Blind

The Poor Do Not Belong, The Working Class Do Not Belong
Women's Rights, Labor Fights

No-NO Other Gods Before Thee, Religion Hi-Jacked,
Education Under Attack,
Fair Elections, No More (S)elections
Ghost In The Machines, Memory Chips, Already Equipped
Predetermined Winners, Funded By Corporate Vermin

This Version Of Democracy No Longer Exist, But That's, What They Want You To Think!

The Picture Is Crystal Clear, They'll Rule Us By Fear,
Election Time Is Near, Recycle Their Fear
Into New Life,
Winning Back Our State, For ALL Our Sakes.

Recited by a Poet:hippie:


I apologize for the ranting poet, I don't know what came over me. I suppose I needed to vent!
I guess it has been exposed again that corporations are funding the Repubs campaigns, which is against Texas Law.
I just hope we can win this battle:grr:

Prosecutor Gregg Cox said the association forfeited that free-speech defense by becoming a de facto political committee that coordinated its voter mail with other political committees that are regulated by Texas election laws.

•Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond, his staff and two board members, lobbyists Mike Toomey and Eric Glenn, used corporate money to solicit and accept contributions from other corporations, mostly insurance companies. They then targeted 23 legislative campaigns.

•The group's officials worked with at least two officials at other political action committees, John Colyandro of Texans for a Republican Majority and Matt Welch of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. They shared information about the campaigns and their needs and strategies.

•The group used its own political action committee to support candidates. Cox said Hammond, political director Jack Campbell and publicist Chuck McDonald were the chief decision-makers for both the corporate-funded ads and the activities of the group's political committee.

"The co-mingling of identities makes clear there's coordination under their own roof," Cox said.

[sonias]

2. Great ranting poem MM

Did you just create that on the fly? Or had that been boiling inside your head for a while. Please do flee free to vent. Reminds me of WestHoustonDem's thread on G/D about having B.I.T.S.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=789268&mesg_id=789268

Sonia

[MagickMuffin]

3. Glad you like the poem

and yes it was on the fly, although it took awhile for it to spew out. I think I've found my muse again.

I have you to thank for that:evilgrin: